Quenching device



Nov. 17 1925. 1,561,577

0. C. TRAUTMAN QUENCHING DEVI CE Filed April 2, 1924 2 Shets-Sheet 2 l I l Oscar C. Tmzzmdzz Km. 1/! :2 ar

' To all whom it may concern:

Patented Nov. 17,1925. I 1,561,577

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' OSC JAB C. TRAUTMAN, 01 LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

ounnonme nnvron I Application filed April 2, 1924. Serial No. 703,6:18.

of the oil or other quenching liquid is pre- Be it known that I, OSCAR O. TRAUTMAN, vented and whereby a horizontally moving a citizen of the United States of America, rod or wire is submerged instantly in a suband a resident of Lakewood, in the county stantial body of quenching liquid of a known of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have inand controllable temperature; wherein wear vented certain new and useful Improvements of the parts is avoided and metallic contact in Quenching Devices, of which the followdelayed until after the quenching is efl'ected: ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the treatment of inequalities in the wire shall not be detrimetal wires, strips, and rods by heat and mental. Other features of novelty and ad cold whereby they are hardened, softened, vantage will become apparent as the deor tempered depending upon the nature scription proceeds. of the metal and the nature of the treat- In the drawings accompanying and formment, and the object of the invention is ing a part of this application I have shown the provision of improved means whereby certain physical formsin which my invensuch a wire or rod may be submerged quicktion can be embodied, although it will be ly in a deep bath of oil or other liquid kept understood that these drawings are intendat an accurately controlled temperature ed as merely illustrative of the principles whereby it'may be quenched. Such wires of my invention and not limiting as to the or strips may vary in thickness from the particular forms therein depicted.

finest wires -up to rods of half an inch in diameter, and in shape from round as in maof my improved quenching apparatus in opchine springs to flat as in clock springs. erative relation with a heating furnace, cer- They are drawn gradually through a heattain parts being shown in section; Fig. 2 is ing furnace of any suitable type whereby an enlarged. section of one end of the trough they are heated to a predetermined temperashown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a left-hand eleva ture and then plunged into a quenchin bath. tion of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a In order to produce a uniform pro not it top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2 is necessary to control accurately the temtogether with the receiving tray; Fig. 5 is a peratureof both rod (or wire) and quenchsectional view showing a modified formiof ing liquid. This implies that the rod or trough embodying the more essential parts wire must pass from the furnace directly to of my improvements; and Fig. 6 shows a the quenching liquid, since contact with any modified type of gate which may be used wherein the occurrence of knots, kinks, and

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form other object would change the temperaeither with or without other damming ture; and that the rod or wire must be means.

plunged instantl into a substantial depth Describing by reference characters the or body of quenc ing liquid, since if it meet parts shown in these drawings, 1 denotes a only a thin sheet of liquid, or a spray or furnace of any suitable or desired type from froth, or even if it enter a mass of liquid which the rods or wires 2 issue continuon a longslant the quenching will'be sogradously in a substantially horizontal direction. ual as not to produce itsexpected result and These wires pass through a trough 3 located the eifective temperature'of that portion of as close to the furnace as safe and conventhe liquid which first meets the oncoming ient, said trough comprising a bottom 4: and wire will be so uncertain that control of the side walls 5-5, the top being generally and process will be impossible and the product preferably left open. Near its receiving end variable in quality. All these difliculties the bottom of this trough is preferably increase greatly with increase in the size of formed with an elongated slot 6 which exthe wire, since the ainount of heat necessary tends substantially from side to Slde of the to be abstracted increases with the square trough and with this communicates a simiof the radius of the wire; also the large larly wide and narrow fitting 7 provided wires or rods must be drawn through the with a suitable neck 8 to which is connected apparatus in a stra' ht line since their the liquid supply pipe 9. A second supstiflness precludes any ending. ply' pipe is a so provided at some part of improvements in the trough removed from its receiving end.

I have provided certain the quenching apparatus whereby frothmg In Fig. 1 this second supply pipe consists of asecond fitting 7 similar to the fitting 7 and located adjacent the opposite end of the trough and connected by a pipe 9 with the common supply pipe 10. This arrangement makes the trough symmetrical; but so far as the essential feature of my inven tion is concerned this second conduit might be located at any point between the slot 6 and the opposite end of the trough, and may either rise through the bottom of the trough ture is forced through the pipe by suitable pumping means (not shown). This liquid Welling up through the slot- 6 constitutes in effect a kind of dam which hinders the escape of the liquid contained in the middle part of the trough. The liquid entering,

the trough through the other supply pipe 9 or 9 assists in maintaining a suflicient depth of liquid in the trough. In case the supply pipes are only two in number and symmetrically arranged as shown in Fig. 1, the liquid'issuing from each serves the double function of supplying the trough and damming the outlet. 1

In Figs. 1110 4 inclusive l have shown the damming action of this inflowing liquid stream as supplemented by a weir plate 12 bolted across the lower part of the opening. This plate, when used, can be made of any suitable shape and attached in any desired way, although I have shown it as having a rounded upper surface 13 which is advantageous as permitting knots and joints in the wire which as shown at 14 in Fig. 1 are sometimes very negligently made, to pass over the same without catching. This weir plate, when used at all, is preferably made of such trunnions' 17-17 at its ends fitting loosely in notches 18 formed in the side walls.

height that the wires or rods 2 will pass freely over the same without touching, yet is also preferably made of very hard metal to prevent its becoming worn into hollows and notches in case contact should accidentallyoccur, since such notches, by producing a large area of metallic contact, might change the quenching effect.

The damming eifect may also be increased, either inaddition to the inflowing liquid at slot 6, or in substitution therefor, by means of a movable gate 16 here shown as having 5-5. I have also shown this gate as provided with a handle 19 whereby it can be operated or removed. The depth of the gateis such as to cause it to depend into contact with the issuing stream, and different gates are preferably provided for difierent depths of liquid and sizes of rod or wire. Thus when the rod or wire is of considerable behind it, yet sutficiently freely movable to be displaced by knots or kinks in the rods or wires. lhe gates 16 shown in Fig. 6 is made so light as normally to be forced outwardly against suitable stops 20 carried by the sides of the trough.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another simple arrangement of parts embodying in modified form the more essential features of my inventive idea. In this arrangement I have shown the bottom 4? of the trough as formed close to the receiving end with a slot 6 which is inclined inwardly so as to direct the stream of liquid issuing therefrom somewhat towards the body of the trough and against the direction of the issuing liquid, thereby enhancing its impeding effect. I have shown the fitting 7 employed with this slot as inclined to corre- Spend therewith and to make a convenient connection with the pipe 9. I have also shown a second pipe 9 arranged to supply an additional body of quenching liquid to the interior part of the trough. -By suit ably adjusting the relative amounts of liquid introduced through the conduits 9 and 9 it is possible so to delay the out-flow at the moment of its escape as to produce in the trough a comparatively deep body of liquid issuing from the end in a stream having a minimum of velocity along a horizontal component whatever 'may be its velocity along a vertical component. A suitable spacing block 21 may be used to hold the wire out of accidental contact with the trough-bottom. l

Another. mode of effecting this result is shown in Fig. 6 wherein the sole damming means I have shown is the comparatively light gate 16. In this case I have shown the of the oil stream may be sharply inclined at the point where the wires enter the same. This, indeed, ischaracteristic of all the forms here shown and is an important feature of my invention since it is on account of this that sudden quenching is obtained in a large body of cold liquid. The liquid discharged from the trough is caught in a suitable tray 24 provided with a discharge pipe 25 whence the liquid passes to a suitable cooling device not shown) after which it is again pumped into the trough.

The mode of treatment of the opposite or discharging end of the trough is substantially immaterial. It is only important that the rods or wires enter abruptly a large volume of quenching liquid. After reaching the temperature of that liquid they may emerge either abruptly or gradually. The trough shown in Fig. 1 is substantial- 1y symmetrical at its two ends, but I have intentionally omitted any illustration of the opposite ends of the trough in the remaining views to signify it is immaterial how these are treated. r

I have used the expression damming means as covering alike the liquid sheet, the weir plate or the gate, and these may be used either separately or together, and many other changes can be made since I do not restrict myself in any wise except as particularly recited in my several claims.

Having thus described my invention what ll claim is:

1. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a substantially horizontal trough. means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously thereto, and means at the receiving end of said trough for producing a deep and unbroken outflow of such liquid with a minimum initial velocity along a horizontal component.

2. A quenching bath for the purpose de scribed comprising a substantially horizontal trough, means for damming the receiving end thereof, and means for deliveringa continuous supply of cold quenching liquid to said trough at a level below that of the liquid as restrained by said damming means.

3. A quenching bath for thepurpose described comprising a substantiallyhorizontal trough and means for delivering cold quenching liquid thereto, said means oom-. prising one or more conduits which discharge tqvwardly through the bottom of the trough.

-l. quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a substantially horizon tal trough and means for "delivering cold quenching liquid thereto, said means includ' ing an upv-.'ardl discharging conduit located in the bottom of the trough near the receiving end. i I

A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a substantially horizontal. trough having its bottom formed near its receiving end with. an elongated slot which cxtlurds substantially. from side toside'of said trough, means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously to the bottom part of said trough at a distance from said lot, and means for delivering cold quenching liquid through said slot to impede the outflow of liquid from said trough and interior part of the trough, and a movable gate mounted near the receiving end of the trough and depending into contact tyith the issuing stream.

7. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a trough adapted to have a substantially horizontal wire drawn therethrough, means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously to said trough, and a weir plate secured to the end of said trough over which the escaping liquid pours.

8. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a trough adapted to have a substantially horizontal wire drawn there through, means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously to said trough, and a pivoted gate located at the receiving end of saidtrough and overhanging said wire.

9. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a trough adapted to have a substantially horizontal wire drawn therethrough, and means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously to said trough near the entering end and also at a distance from said entering end, whereby each entering stream impedes outflow of liquid entering by the other stream. A

10. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprisinga trough adapted to have a substantially horizontal wire drawn therethrough, means for delivering cold quenching liquid contin'uouslyto said trough at a distance from its entering end, and means for delivering more cold quenching liquid to the entering end of said trough in a direction to impede the escape of the first liquid. a

11. A quenching bath for the purpose described comprising a trough adapted to have a substantially horizontal wire drawn therethrough. means for delivering cold quenching liquid continuously to said trough and a metal spacing device submerged in the liquid whereby the wire is kept away from the'bottom of the trough, said device so located relative to the end of the trough which the wire'enters as not to be contacted by the wire rmtil after the latter has traversed a substantial anfount of quenching liquid.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

V OSCAR C. TRAUTMAN. 

